3 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Sushi handroll expert expands, and more East Bay restaurant openings
The newest restaurants to hit the East Bay offer a wide spread of flavors.
The anticipated return of Daytrip as a casual, chicken-oriented restaurant and the latest from the chef behind popular sandwich shop Ok's Deli are now live. Other new arrivals include a German street food favorite and a wine bar that's heavy on the French vibes.
Handroll restaurant grows
Fourth generation Japanese-American chef Kyle Itani has expanded his temaki sushi restaurant, Yonsei Handrolls. The second location in Albany brings a selection of handrolls that include dungeness crab with miso butter, soy-cured tuna or seared albacore with black garlic, among others. These are available in sets of five or by the piece. Cocktail selections incorporate rare Japanese whiskeys and ingredients like yuzu cordials and miso honey.
Berlin-style doner arrives
Spots for shawarma and kebab aren't hard to find around the East Bay. But a new Oakland restaurant is bringing Berlin-style doner kebab into the mix. Black Forest Kitchen shaves chicken off a rotating spit onto warm flatbread, with the addition of red onions, cucumbers feta and a spicy sauce. Owner Pierre Slack, born and raised in Frankfurt, told East Bay Nosh he hopes the brick-and-mortar sets off a doner revolution in the Bay Area.
478 25th St., Oakland.
Oken, the newest Oakland restaurant from chef Albert Ok of the perennially popular Ok's Deli, is now open. The former fine dining chef told the Chronicle the restaurant will combine Korean, Japanese and Southeast Asian flavors in dishes. The influences are visible in offerings like a tsukune dumpling soup, made with a chicken dashi spikes with gochugaru, and a grilled half chicken accompanied by sauces like Lao jeow som and a house hot sauce. Ok's hit Sichuan chicken, which goes into sandwiches at his deli, appears on the menu as popcorn chicken bites ready to dip into honey mustard.
6200 Claremont Ave., Oakland.
Awaited seafood spot finally lands
In a day that was seven years in the making, Peninsula favorite Cook's Seafood is now serving diners at its second location in Pleasanton. The Mercury News reports that the restaurant announced its first-ever expansion in 2018, but the project ran into delays and was set aside for years. The original Menlo Park restaurant has operated for nearly 100 years and is well known for its classic fish and chips made with Alaskan halibut.
Nouveau vibes on Piedmont
Wine bar La Loulou is now pouring glasses of French vintages and serving small bites. Step in and take in the art nouveau flair, with flowy wood details over mirrors, ornate lamps and scarlet walls.
4250 Piedmont Ave., Oakland.
A Temescal favorite returns
The latest from Daytrip owners Finn Stern and Stella Dennig, is now open. Daytrip Counter reanimated the same Telegraph Avenue space where diners took to dishes like a hit celery salad and funky miso-butter noodles. The new focus is a rotisserie chicken brined in a vinegar solution, coated in a flavorful rub and injected with a rich sauce made from chicken fat and stock. Sandwiches stuffed with pickled vegetables, salads and quinoa bowls will also make use of the dripping birds.
Smoothie shop back on
Smoothie shop Drink Thicc opened at its new location in Uptown Oakland. The shop offers smoothies with ingredients like tropical fruits, vegetables and berries. Its website claims all smoothies have a minimum of 28 grams of protein, leaving no intake gaps for customers counting macros. It previously operated inside Swan's Market in Old Oakland.
372 24th St. Oakland.
Bakery and restaurant reopens
Wingen Bakery owners Bryan and Aimee Wingen are preparing their sourdough loaves once again. The couple reopened at a new location, where customers can continue to pick up their favorite baked goods during cafe hours in the morning. Dinner offerings lean Italian with a selection of classic pizzas, salads and antipasti.
50 S. Livermore Ave., Livermore.
Bagel empire pushes on
Boichik bagels continues its march to take over the Bay Area with its crusty, chewy bagels. The Berkeley-born bakery announced its anticipated Concord location. Find bagels covered with all the hits, from salt to 'everything' seasoning, with your choice of shmear and fillings.
2980 Treat Blvd., Concord.
Mexican dishes fly into the Laurel
East Bay Nosh reports Golondrinas Mexican Grill has made its nest in Oakland. The restaurant offers mole made in-house along with more commonly found dishes like tacos and burritos and flan for dessert. Golondrinas is the newest tenant at the former Communite Table space.
4171 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland.
A buzzy new bar
Step past a secret door to sip on cocktails in a plush banquette, under sultry lights and oil portraits at Livermore's newest speakeasy. Honeycomb Cocktail Lounge, initially a private events venue, is now open to the public. True to its namesake bees are all over the menu, figuratively. House cocktails, like the Hive Mind and Royal Jelly, are fittingly made using honey. Similarly, riffs on classics include an Old Fashioned made with beeswax-washed bourbon and a whiskey sour using bee pollen and crowned with honeycomb. The hidden bar is the latest from Tom and Teresa Lawrie, owners of the adjacent Sons of Liberty Alehouse.
